Nikon D700 Review

Body & Design

The D700, unsurprisingly, bears a strong family resemblance to both the D3 and the D300 (as shown below, save for the larger prism and some minor details it's very similar to the D300 indeed). It has the same ultra solid feel as its bigger (and smaller) brother, and the same magnesium alloy body and soft rubber grips front and back. Just like the rest of the family the D700 features oversized buttons on the rear of the camera which are easier to use when wearing gloves. We loved the build and performance of the D3, but often felt it was simply too large and heavy to carry around; the D700 puts all (well, most) of that power into a more portable but equally solid format.

There are numerous rubber gasket seals around body seams, controls and compartment doors. Nikon don't claim the camera to be waterproof but it's certainly more 'weather proof' than the average digital SLR. Remember that the camera is only as weather proof as its weakest link, this includes the lens mount and only a few of the more recent Nikkor lenses have rubber seals around the mount ring.

Side by side

Whether you see the D700 as a 'D3 mini' or a full frame D300, it's obvious that physically it has a lot more in common with the latter than with the considerably larger and heavier D3. There are, however plenty differences between the D300 and the new camera (not least the fact that the D700 is 170g (0.4 lbs) heavier). The prism and viewfinder are larger, and - though the controls are very similar to the D300 - you get the D3's multi-controller and a new INFO button (just below the AF area mode selector), which is used to bring up a more detailed information display on the main LCD.

Interestingly the D700 does away with the latch / lever for the Compact Flash compartment (a feature common to all pro-level Nikon SLRs) to make room for the new button.

D3, D300 and D700 bodies Compared

Side by side: D3 vs D700 with MB-D10

The D700 is compatible with the D300's MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pac, which can accept one EN-EL4a/4/3e or eight AA-size batteries. With the MB-D10 attached the D700 feels very much like a D3 (it's actually a fractionally taller combination) and offers high-speed continuous shooting of full size 12.1MP images at a rate of up to 8 fps (when using EN-EL4a/4 or eight AA-size batteries).

This isn't quite D3 speed, but is getting close (note that there's no 'speed up' when shooting in crop mode - 8 fps is the absolute maximum). Unless you have a real need for this ultra high speed shooting it could be argued that the D700 / MB-D10 combination is actually more versatile than a D3, giving you the option to carry a smaller lighter body when speed isn't so crucial.

In your hand

Aside from being a bit heavier and having a much bigger full frame viewfinder, the D700 handles exactly the same as the D300. This is no bad thing; as we said at the time we reviewed the D300, you really have to pick it up to appreciate how nicely it fits into your hand. The ergonomics are great and the soft rubber used on the grip ensures holding the camera steady is an easy task. The control layout is also very sensible and easy to learn; even if you've never used a Nikon DSLR before, the clear labeling and logical positioning mean you'll be shooting and discovering the D700's features very quickly, and if you are coming from the D3 or D300 you'll be right at home.

LCD Monitor

The D700 shares the D3 and D300's new large, high resolution LCD monitor. It has four times the number of dots than the 230,000 unit used on the D2X and other such cameras. For clarity, the words pixels and dots are interchanged almost randomly in specification sheets but strictly speaking we should talk of dots (these being red, green or blue sub-pixels) when referring to the figures quoted by manufacturers. The D700's LCD has 921,600 dots, 1920 columns by 480 rows, the dots are a third thinner than they are high and so each group of three dots (sub-pixels) make up one full color pixel.

This high resolution screen really has to be seen to be appreciated, it's beautifully detailed and extremely smooth in appearance because the tiny gaps between dots are too small to be seen with the eye. This extra detail is obvious in live view and playback modes where you really can see much 'more' of the image in one glance. Another difference comes when you magnify in playback as you find you don't need to magnify the image as much before you can clearly see sharpness, focus accuracy and even noise.

One other difference between the D3/D300/D700's screen and that used previously is the layout of the dots (sub-pixels), this new screen has the same layout as your computer LCD, a simple RGB layout with all rows the same ('stripe array'). The other layout used on small LCD screens is the 'delta array' which uses an RGB pattern on one row then a BRG pattern on the row below, offset by half a pixel.

Stripe array layout LCD

Delta array layout LCD

Below you can see a real-life, same-size example of the difference in resolution between this new 921,600 dot screen (on the D300, but it's the same as the D3 and D700) and a more typical 230,400 dot screen (in this case on the Canon EOS 40D). Both cameras were set in play mode with the same image (note that the D300 doesn't use the whole screen in play unless you magnify), a shot was taken of each camera from the same distance (hence the screens were captured at the same magnification).

Crop from the D700/D3/D300's LCD
(1920 x 480 dots; 640 x 480 pixels)

Crop from the EOS 40D's LCD
(960 x 240 dots; 320 x 240 pixels)

Top Control Panel

Unlike the D3, the D700 has only one status / control panel display, which resides on the top plate (there's no room on the back for another). The panel has a green back light which can be illuminated by flicking the power switch to the lamp position, it's spring loaded and returns to 'ON', the back light stays on for the 'auto meter-off' time. You can also choose to have the backlight come on with any button press.

Comments

If you can shoot and don't crop its stil beauty why? because not to many big file's but stil great enough to enlarge.The nice thing is that it stil offers you a professional body there is realy not any current nikon that can compete with that.

Dont get me wrong if you have a d4 or so d4s d5 and the d810 is to many pixels for most people ofcourse if you cant shoot get the 36 megapixel camera's you can crop a lot.

The D700 is an excellent camera, old yet hot in demand. It is built like a tank. Mount a good glass on it and you are on your way to an amazing photographic experience. It is probably one of Nikon's strongest camera.

In 2016 the D700 is still a viable option. If one wishes to pixel peep, then maybe not. Learn to work within its abilities (and it has many), and it will sing and bring smiles with its beautiful color and smooth tones. Pro body built like a tank with quick access to the things we need, just like older film bodies. Today it sells mostly for less than $1,000, average around $600-$700. Why plunk down the same $$$ for cheap plastic bodies that feel like toys, and have to chase through menus to change ISO, WB, Aperture, Shutter, etc. 12.5 MP is more than enough to work with. Print at 150 dpi (which is where high quality begins), and then smirk over poster sizes at 20x30 with GREAT results. But who prints that big for average use? In fact, who even prints anymore?? ( I do...) It's a digital world now. That said, its not about pixel peeping, it's about painting great moments with light! Action point: Find a D700 with low shutter count, add an SB800, and invest in the best glass. Go do it!

The D700 is now an old camera but I have a question that I can't find the answer to. Sent something to dpreview, but it hasn't been fixed, don't expect that it will be. So the geniuses that created this site think it's neat to give scores that are a jpeg. But years later when that image is no longer hosted guess what happens? You can't see the score. What did DPreview hand to the D700 back in 2008? Can't find anything on the web and I don't see any actual text on the review that tells the score.

Question: I want to move up from a Sony A33 to a full-frame DSLR. I'm mostly interested in low/natural-light indoor and architectural photography. Given this, what would I miss out if I picked up a used D700 vs. the latest D610? I think 12MP would be fine if they're good pixels!

No problem with long telephoto lenses, and I expressed myself a bit clumsily. What I meant was that a crop sensor, like the one in the D300 (which I also have) gives more reach at the same pixel count. The D300/700 combination is very convenient, since the two cameras share more or less the same body and use the same CF cards, batteries and vertical grip.

I saw a user one on forum (maybe istock) claiming half a million for a D700 he was still using. I've just bought one (Mar 2017) for £559 with just under 10k clicks. I haven't found any faults with it yet and the images look very punchy and colourful. Coming from a D7000, I love the D700 viewfinder - I'm NOT disappointed.

I've used this camera for many photo shoots for over 2 years and still have it as my backup camera. (My main one is the D4). If you don't care about video, this is the camera for you! Much better than the D600 and probably very similar to the D800 (though the D800 has way too large image files for most shooters.). The images from the D700 with the right Nikkor lenses will keep you very happy for many years! (I only switched to the D4 for it's low light ability and faster shooting speed.)

I have been looking for a replacement camera for my D40 and in my research discovered the D700. I can now get a used one in perfect condition with less than 1700 shots taken plus grip and lens (waiting to hear which lens) for 890 Euros. Would you say this is a better option than a Fuji X-E1 or Olympus OM-D E-M5 in terms of usability and image quality? I am looking for a camera to take stock photos with.

The D700 is an excellent camera if you don't need video or long telephoto lenses. It's particularly ideal if you want to use wide aperture primes and play with shallow depth of field. When it comes to image quality, it's a 5 year old camera, and many of the smaller sensors approach the once unique qualities of the D700 (I use a Panasonic GH3 in addition to the D700 myself). There are no obvious choices, and it mostly boils down to the user experience. Do you prefer an OVF or an EVF? Are you ok with a camera that is twice as heavy? The rational choices nowadays are probably a mirrorless camera, but the D700 is a classic. They are all good :)

Like James & Zakk say: this is a premium quality bit of kit for a Nikon user who wants to go full-frame for a bargain price. You accept the 12MP sensor to avoid the expense of the D800/810 or the known quality issues of the 600/610. Remember Joe McNally was producing his best work on D3/700s pretty recently. If your lenses are all DX then sorry, you'll have to swap 'em but all your Nikon flashes (I'm talking old SB25 24, 26 20 28) will fire in the hotshoe or via cheap SC-17 cord on manual settings without frying the camera circuits. I just discovered that the D700 onbord flash in 'double-dash' commander only mode will fire my old SB-26 in manual slave mode with no added triggers. (Check out The Angry Photographer on Youtube for the wonders of using old Nikon flashes - you'll be amazed.)

If you are dithering over all sorts of weird, fringe brand cameras then your buying a D700 will have tragic results: a camera too heavy for you, & someone more deserving than you missing-out!

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